Grease in Your Kitchen? Here’s How to Remove That Sticky Mess

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If you’re the type to delight in the sight of a tidy, pristine kitchen, chances are grease stains are your worst enemy. Spots of oil and other residues from cooking or takeaway food can leave sticky, unsightly stains behind. Once they’ve set, these stains can be notoriously difficult to remove, as they can’t be cleaned off with water and vigorous scrubbing alone.

Commercial grease cleaners are made of materials that break down grease molecules and make them easier to remove. These products can quickly take care of most messes, but it also helps to be familiar with common alternatives to chemicals that do the job just as well. The best part is, many of these items will be easy to find in most homes or they may already be in the kitchen you’re cooking in. So whether you’re cleaning your counters or working on maintaining the gas hob Singapore residents prefer to use, follow these useful tips to get your kitchen sparkling clean again in no time.

Sprinkle Some Flour

As a rule, grease will always be simplest to clean up when it’s freshly spilt, before it’s had the chance to set and adhere more strongly to surfaces in your kitchen. Flour will absorb wet grease and prevent it from sticking, so it’s a good idea to sprinkle some immediately over your next spill. Make sure the grease is cool enough to touch without burning yourself, then just wipe the spill away.

Soak Pots and Pans in Club Soda

Grease that has been allowed to dry and set over time becomes sticky and much more of a pain to remove. If you let your pots and pans sit in the sink rather than washing them immediately, for instance, you’ll likely see some of these stubborn stains already forming by cleanup time. To prevent grease from setting, crack open a few cans of club soda and pour it into your pans as soon as you finish using them. Then your cookware can sit safely until you’re ready to give it a proper wash.

Mix Baking Soda and Water

If you’re handy around the house, you probably already have baking soda on hand to serve as an emergency cleaning solution for all sorts of surfaces. A mixture of baking soda and water is great for removing food and drink stains, cleaning up tarnished metals—and dissolving hardened grease. This solution is also mild enough to clean these surfaces thoroughly without harming them or your bare hands.

To clean off hardened grease stains, mix about three tablespoons of baking soda into a cup of water, apply the solution to a sponge, and scrub. This method will work well for hard surfaces like your stovetop, counters and even cookware.

Wash Fabrics with Dish Soap

Besides your countertops, grease stains are also likely to find their way onto your table linens, fabric placemats, and even clothing. Luckily, a little dish soap squirted directly onto the stain will serve as a potent grease-remover. Let the soap sit on the stained cloth for about thirty minutes, then give your items a thorough, cold washing. In most cases, the dish soap will do a thorough job of pulling the grease molecules from the fabric.

Powder Away Stains

Another useful method for removing grease from fabric is to powder it away. Rubbing a small amount of chalk or baby powder directly onto a fresh stain will absorb most of the grease and prevent it from leaving behind a permanent mark. Then, you can simply brush the powder off to reveal a clean surface. This trick is especially useful for fabric surfaces that you can’t run through the wash—such as carpets, cushions and upholstery.

Soften Hardened Grease with Vinegar

The toughest grease stains to remove are actually mixtures of oil and food residue, which can clump together into thick, cakey layers. You’ll most commonly find these stuck to your stove, the inside of your oven or on your baking dishes. To make removal easier, soak or spray the buildup with vinegar. The acidic properties of vinegar can help soften and break down these hardened layers and make them easier to clean.

For best results, it’s best to apply vinegar when your stained surfaces are hot—which means you should set to cleaning your stove, oven or cooking tools either just after you’ve used them or after reheating them. Spray undiluted vinegar directly onto the caked grease and wait about five minutes for it to be absorbed. Afterwards, you should have a much easier time scrubbing away the residue with a sponge.

Having to clean up your kitchen after cooking can feel like a real slog, especially when you’ve already been slaving for hours over the food preps. When it comes to tackling grease stains, however, timely intervention could save you a much bigger headache in the long run. A little quick thinking and resourcefulness will help you tackle even the most pernicious stains and get you off your feet and ready to relax that much faster.

 

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21 Comments

  1. Pingback: Grease in Your Kitchen? Here’s How to Remove That Sticky Mess | TheFinance.sg

  2. Absolutely! Once they’ve set, these stains can be notoriously difficult to remove, as they can’t be cleaned off with water and vigorous scrubbing alone.
    Robert

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